These yogurt muffins might be imposters. They were definitely muffins before I glazed them, but after that they’ve edged toward cupcake territory. I’m keeping the name, though—I’ve been enjoying one with my morning coffee all week while everyone else in resolution land is probably still choking down celery-turmeric smoothies.
Speaking of resolutions, in my last post I wrote about spending more time planning. I’ve become disciplined about planning work tasks, which has made me far more productive and saved a lot of wasted time. In 2017 I want to apply that same energy to planning the fun parts of life.
There’s so much I want to do—so many books to read, places to see, skills to try—and I hate feeling stuck while life passes by. They say kids keep you grounded, but grounded doesn’t have to mean stuck at the gate waiting for fog to lift, right?
I’ve usually flown by the seat of my pants when it comes to free time. I rarely plan weekends and almost never research trips in advance. Spontaneity was fine when I had fewer responsibilities, but lately weeks seem to slip by without much happening. I want to be more intentional about squeezing more out of life.
I see other women with careers and bigger families accomplishing amazing things: feeding themselves and their kids home-cooked meals, creating beautiful work, learning new skills and traveling. I get so much more done at work when I have a plan, so I think organizing my personal life could help me do the same. Maybe then I’ll follow in the footsteps of the women I admire instead of stumbling behind them in sweatpants wondering what day it is.
So I’ve started planning. Small things first: scheduling an evening to start a new book, choosing a theme for acrylic sketches (grapefruits this week—you can see them in my Instagram story), booking a weekend getaway, arranging a babysitter so Adarsh and I can go snowshoeing, trying a new recipe from an unfamiliar cookbook, and setting aside minutes to watch tutorials and improve photography skills. It’s about being an organized grown-up and carving out time for the things I want to do.
Do you have a backlog of unread novels on your Kindle, pristine watercolor paints and untouched paper, a Pinterest board full of local destinations to visit, or a shelf of cookbooks with recipes you haven’t tried? Join me in planning to plan.
Now, the muffins. They’re moist and fluffy with bright grapefruit flavor and a subtle hint of rosemary—an unexpectedly delicious pairing. The yogurt appears both in the batter and the glaze, which keeps these in the breakfast category. Yogurt and grapefruit: practically a health food, right?
Grapefruit Yogurt Muffins
Ingredients
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 2 cups yogurt
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp finely grated grapefruit zest
- 1 heaping tsp finely minced fresh rosemary
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup vegetable oil like sunflower, canola or safflower oil
- ½ cup grapefruit juice
- ½ cup whole milk
For glaze
- 1 ½ tbsp plain yogurt
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- milk as needed about 1 tsp
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 375°F and line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
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In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt, eggs, vanilla, rosemary, oil, grapefruit juice and milk. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the yogurt mixture. Gently combine with a rubber spatula—do not overmix. Divide batter among the paper cups and bake 18–22 minutes, until the tops spring back when pressed. Transfer muffins to wire racks to cool completely.
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To make the glaze, whisk the powdered sugar into the yogurt gradually and add milk as needed to reach a dippable consistency (about 1 teaspoon for a thicker glaze). When the muffins are cool, flip them upside-down and dip the tops into the glaze, letting excess drip off before returning to the racks. Allow about an hour for the glaze to set. Top with a small wedge of grapefruit if you like.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe? Leave a comment!